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arXiv · 2101.03371

Classical model of delayed-choice quantum eraser

Brian R. La Cour·Thomas W. Yudichak
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Abstract

Wheeler's delayed-choice experiment was conceived to illustrate the paradoxical nature of wave-particle duality in quantum mechanics. In the experiment, quantum light can exhibit either wave-like interference patterns or particle-like anti-correlations, depending upon the (possibly delayed) choice of the experimenter. A variant known as the quantum eraser uses entangled light to recover the lost interference in a seemingly nonlocal and retrocausal manner. Although it is believed that this behavior is incompatible with classical physics, here we show that the observed quantum phenomena can be reproduced by adopting a simple deterministic detector model and supposing the existence of a random zero-point electromagnetic field.

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Brian R. La Cour, Thomas W. Yudichak. 2021-01-09. Classical model of delayed-choice quantum eraser. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreva.103.062213

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